Collide
by Riddler-of-Words
Summary: Sakura is about to find out if she has what it takes to be a dancer on the show So You Think You Can Dance, especially when up against her tango trained best friend Ino, ballet powerhouse Sasuke, and hip-hop extraordinaire Naruto.


So this is just a test chapter to see if people like the idea of a story about a dance competition-based on the dance show So You Think You Can Dance- with our favorite Naruto characters and some drama, romance, and competition!

I know that I have three other stories I should be working on, and trust me I am, but I just wanted to get people's feedback on this story so that once I finish up with my other two Naruto stories-which will hopefully be soon SQUEAL!-I can possibly have another story already going.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or the show So You Think You Can Dance or the songs that I use in this story.

**#**

_WELCOMING ALL DANCERS TO SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?_

_Arabesques, flips, and spins are allowed._

_Soul and passion are needed._

_Think you have what it takes? June 20th-June 22nd are open for those who want to try out at Academy Theater, New York City, New York._

Think you can do it?

You're in for a surprise. There's more to it than just the steps of a routine.

And you're about to learn that sometimes you have to give more than what you've got.

But most importantly, you have to _want_ it more than anything else.

**##**

Sakura's heart was thudding in her chest with short, painful staccato beats. She tried to take deep, lung filling breaths. It didn't help.

"You'll do fine," her best friend Ino reassured her, smoothing her red, sparkly dress so that it fit perfectly against her body. The number 10284 stood out on the white paper attached to the hip of her dress.

"I know, but what if I trip," Sakura paused, cringing at the mental image and the butterflies that erupted in her stomach. "Or I forget my routine or I miss a step or—"

"Shut up Sakura. You've been dancing all your life and you've never screwed up. I doubt you're going to start now." She made sure her blond hair was still in a sleek ponytail. "Plus you're making me nervous too."

Sakura muttered an apology, deciding to keep her worries to herself until after Ino performed. Putting in her iPod, she watched as dancer after dancer went up on stage and danced to music she couldn't hear. Judging from the looks on their faces and the way they stepped off the stage, she could assume whether they'd gotten through to Vegas or not.

Everyone got a brochure when they signed up. It explained the rules, the dangers, and the hard work. There were countless routines and solos you had to do, countless flips and jumps you had to master.

When Sakura had signed her name on the line that said she understood the contest, her hand had shook. If she made it past the first tryout and went to Vegas, it'd be harder each day that passed.

The brochure had listed a schedule. First was a tryout for Vegas. If you made it to Vegas, you had to do another solo. Then you'd start the different themes of dance. You had a couple of hours to learn the routine then you had to perform with a partner. Slowly, the group would dwindle down until there were ten girls and ten guys who would then be pared off and dance together weekly.

It was hard to think about the top twenty and Vegas week when Sakura was so nervous about the tryout to _get _to Vegas. Really, they should give them the brochure once they were at Vegas.

Another dancer got off the stage. From the upset look on his face, Sakura could tell he wouldn't be going to Vegas. A lot of people with the same look had danced before him and she worried many more would have that downturned face after him. Hopefully, she wouldn't have that facial expression when she exited the theater.

The vintage look of the theater only calmed her down slightly. She had danced here before, several times, but never for anything as important as this. For a moment, she wondered why she had signed up. But like a rocket hitting its target, her passion for dancing hit her full on. This is what she wanted, to dance professionally. She wanted to make people feel what she felt when she danced, to feel the emotions she felt when she glided across the stage.

Slowly, the people in the row in front of them disappeared behind the curtain, one by one. Sakura watched them appear on stage, watched them step off. Some had tickets, some didn't. Even though she barely knew them, she felt sympathy for them.

The butterflies increased tenfold as Sakura's row stood and headed through a side door to wait for their turn backstage. Slowly the line started to dwindle down. She cursed her luck at being the last in the row. It would have been easier if she had been the first in the row, the suspense shorter.

"Good luck," Sakura whispered to Ino and she and her dance partner Choji were ushered towards the stage, next to audition. Because she was a Latin ballroom dancer, she was allowed a partner. Choji wasn't motivated like Ino and wasn't trying out, but he was still there to support Ino and dance with her.

"Thanks!" Ino excitedly and lead Choji through the opening of the curtain, her red dress swishing around her legs as her heels clacked against the stage. Behind her Choji wiped his hands on his pants before getting into position.

Exhaling a deep breath, Sakura forced myself to calm down as she realized that even Choji was nervous and he wasn't even trying out. She moved closer to watch Ino perform, ignoring the next row of dancers lining up behind her. One of the judges held up a hand and signaled for the music to start.

Sakura had seen Ino dance countless times. She had watched as Ino twirled across the floor, her dress catching the light and making her even more stunning. But she had never seen her dance like this, so passionately and wantonly for a spot on the plane to Vegas.

Her lungs couldn't take in air fast enough. Breathless was the only way to describe Ino as Sakura watched, mesmerized as she slid under Choji's legs and was pulled back up, using his chest to flip backwards, her hands held firmly by his. He was a strong partner, her trust evident as she was hoisted into the air and caught.

If Sakura made it past this tryout and to Vegas, would she be able to place her safety in someone else's hands? If she made it to the top twenty, would she be able to let someone toss her into the air and catch her inches from the floor before tossing her across the stage?

Those thoughts flew out of her head as Ino screamed happily and ran off the stage. She hugged the judges as they handed her a ticket, nodding approvingly. In less than three minutes, they'd be judging Sakura. In less than three minutes, Sakura would be off the stage with either a ticket in her hand or disappointment on her face.

A moment later Sakura was signaled to go on stage. She tensed her shoulders before relaxing them, feeling her muscles loosen throughout her body. The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears, louder than she thought possible.

Sakura congratulated herself for not tripping as she moved to her starting spot on stage. This was it, Vegas or bust. It was up to her, no one else, to dance her routine and to dance it damn well. She didn't have a partner like Ino to rely on, she only had her years of dance and skills to help her.

It was tempting to check to make sure that her number was pinned securely to her v-necked bra, but she didn't. Sakura wiped her hands on her dance shorts and waited for the music, her mind clearing as the butterflies faded from the pit of her stomach.

The judge's hand went up and softly a guitar strummed throughout the theater. And then Sakura was off, the counting a faint buzz in the back of her mind as she slid across the floor into a leap, her right leg landing first and slowly, smoothly, she raised her body until she was on the tips of her toes. Her left leg raised behind her as she moved into an arabesque.

In the next moment, Sakura was moving across the floor in long, tippy-toed spins, stopping suddenly as Taylor Swift's voice hummed through the speakers. She snapped her body towards the judges, grasping at her heart before closing her hand and curling her upper body around it.

Sakura's head snapped up and she looked at the judges as she swayed her body from side to side, her eyes fluttering closed. Using her left leg, she spun to the left three times before moving into a spinning attitude, a ballet move that was known as a stand still step.

Coming out of the spinning attitude, Sakura searched around as though she was searching for someone before she recoiled, her heart thumping in pain as though she were truly feeling the emotions the song and dance were portraying.

She took off running towards the other end of the stage, performing a cabriole before collapsing to the ground a second later, her palms slapping against the ground in frustration. Her right side hit the floor as she rolled onto her back, her legs lifting so her heels faced the ceiling, her toes curling.

Sakura's palms pressed against the floor above her shoulders, providing support as she lowered her feet and pushed against the floor. The floor and ceiling blurred together as she flipped onto her feet, her arms rising again as her back arced. Balancing on her hands, she did a split with her legs in the air, keeping them in a split as her left leg touched the ground and she raised her upper body, her right leg remaining in a split

Sounds were coming from the judge's table but Sakura barely thought about it. She was barely thinking about anything besides the lyrics and emotions she was feeling.

Her other foot touched the ground and she walked normally towards the center of the stage, slow and calmly. As her pace picked up, she leaped into the air, her legs doing a split before she landed gracefully, moving into an aerial before spunning around and started back towards the center of the stage, her head downturned. She stared at the different shades of the wooden floorboards as she brought my hands up and clutched at her arms.

Sakura spun into a pirouette with her arms raised towards the ceiling. Her surroundings spun around her rapidly at first, slowing down until she came to a stop.

Taylor Swift's voice faded as Sakura's routine came to an end. Her arms curled into her chest and she lowered her body into a kneeling position with her head bowed, pink strands that had escaped her ponytail falling around her face and sticking to her sweaty neck.

Silence followed her routine as Sakura stood and approached the microphone that was placed on the stage in front of the judge's table. She tried to control her rapid breathing as she took in the faces of the executive producer and dance expert Tsunade, the world-renowned choreographer Kakashi, and famous and professional dancer Itachi Uchiha.

The urge to bite her lip overcame Sakura as they continued to stare at her, assess her, judge her, and mentally replay her performance. For a brief second she wondered if she'd made a mistake, if she'd stumbled or fallen. But instinctively Sakura knew she hadn't.

Slowly, Tsunade stood, followed by Kakashi and lastly, Itachi. It all happened so fast as they started to clap, their faces transforming into expressions of sheer amazement.

"That," Tsunade started, stopping to swallow heavily as she blinked away the sheer of tears in her eyes. "That was one of the best contemporary pieces I have ever seen."

"Good enough for top twenty even," Kakashi added, his one visible eye twinkling in admiration. His other eye was hidden behind a mop of messy silver hair.

"But you'll have to get through Vegas first." Itachi's voice held a note of challenge. All three then sat back down in their chairs.

Sakura nodded quickly, holding my breath. Her lungs screamed from air but she feared if she breathed, they would tell her to go home and try again next year. And she would. She'd keep trying until she made it all the way.

"Is that your natural hair color?" Kakashi blurted out, earning a glare from Tsunade. He shrugged at her, leaning towards Itachi in case she decided to hit him. "I was just curious."

"It is," Sakura told him with a laugh, calming slightly as Kakashi and Tsunade bickered quietly, Itachi rolling his eyes irritatingly.

"She would be great on the show. People will vote for her because of her hair alone." Tsunade snorted and gave him a look that told him to shut up. She turned back towards Sakura suddenly, her eyes narrowed as she stared at her.

"Now, down to business—"

"That's a first," Kakashi muttered jokingly. Tsunade smacked him in the arm but didn't look at him.

"—your routine was amazing. You're amazing. Your form is great, your routine wasn't just tricks, and you used the whole floor. Just do me a favor, make it to Top Twenty. We could use someone like you on our show, someone with passion."

"Thank you," Sakura said into the microphone, letting out a huge exhale.

Kakashi smiled as though he knew what Sakura was going through. "When you walked onto the stage and I saw your pink hair, I thought you'd be another wanna-be dancer who doesn't know what it's like to truly dance. I was wrong and I'm glad you proved me wrong. You left me breathless and your solo was one of the best I've seen. Thank you for auditioning and showing everyone true dancing."

Sakura's heart slammed into the pit of her stomach excitingly. It took everything in her to not start jumping up and down and screaming like a little girl.

Itachi cleared his throat and straightened in his seat, knitting his fingers together on the table. "You're a great dancer Sakura. And you're so beautiful. You'd be great in the Top Twenty and I look forward to seeing what other styles you can do." Itachi held up a ticket, nodding at it while his eyes held Sakura's. She thought she caught a glimpse of a smile on his face, but his face was emotionless the next second.

Sakura's body froze as she stared at them, her eyes flicking from one face to another in shock. She had made it to Vegas and with high praise from the judges! Kakashi raised his eyebrow at her, motioning with his head towards the ticket in Itachi's hand.

"Really?" When they nodded, Tsunade chuckling while Kakashi waved at her to come get her ticket, she squealed. "Thank you! Wow. Thank you so much!" she breathed as a giddy smile came to her face. She ran down the steps and up onto the judge's platform. Taking the ticket from Itachi, she gave him a one armed hug as she hugged Kakashi with the other arm. Kakashi chuckled while whispering good luck in her ear. Sakura quickly hugged Tsunade before getting off their stage and heading up the aisle.

She wanted to run up the aisle but the next audition had started. It was hard to believe that five minutes ago she had been sitting there, wondering if she would be given a ticket.

With shaky hands, Sakura grabbed her stuff and hurried up the aisle, forcing herself not to run as fast as she could. At the door, she took a deep breath and discreetly pinched herself. Nope, this was real.

Sakura burst through the door, nearly running into Ino as she waited for her. For a moment, she didn't say anything as she stared at Sakura, her eyes wide.

"I made it," Sakura whispered, laughing when Ino started to scream.

"Vegas, baby, here we come!" She shouted as they hugged and jumped up and down. The camera people noticed our rowdy behavior and focused the cameras on them.

The cameras stayed focused on them until they were down the hallway and around the corner, her hand holding Ino's while she held her ticket tightly in the other. At that moment, she wondered if her heart would even stop beating so rapidly or if this was one thing they failed to mention in the brochure.


End file.
